The SKIL RT1323-01 is not just a router—it is a router table station. The kit pairs the SKIL SRT1039 table with a 10 amp RT1323-00 fixed-base router, aiming at beginners who want above-table adjustment, a wide fence, and featherboards without designing a table from scratch. This review covers the bundled system, not handheld plunge work.
Buying a router table separately is a research project: plate size, fence quality, dust collection, and whether your existing motor even fits. The RT1323-01 short-circuits that loop by shipping a matched table and router designed to work together from day one. SKIL’s SRT1039 table carries the feature list—above-the-table adjustment, integrated bit storage, aluminum miter slot, router clamp, starter pin, and two featherboards—while the RT1323-00 motor brings a 10 amp, 2.0 horsepower-class fixed base with soft start and speed control.
Above-the-table adjustment is the quality-of-life feature that separates tolerable table routing from chronic frustration. Instead of crawling under the table for every micro depth change, you adjust height from the top with the router mounted. That matters when you are dialing in a cut across multiple test boards for a profile that must align with a shelf edge. Integrated bit storage sounds minor until you stop losing quarter-inch round-over bits in coffee cans.
The fence is a table router’s steering wheel. SKIL spec’s a 24-inch-wide fence with adjustable MDF face plates, a starter pin, and guard hardware oriented toward edge work on taller stock. Featherboards press work against the table and fence, reducing chatter when you feed long boards through a profile bit. Starter pins help pivot small pieces safely into the cutter when freehanding would be reckless. None of this replaces push sticks and attention, but the kit includes the basics many bare tables omit.
The RT1323-00 motor itself is a corded 10 amp fixed-base unit with die-cast housing, shaped handles for handheld use if you ever pull it off the table, soft start, variable speed, and a live tool indicator. On the table, soft start keeps startup smooth as you bring work to the bit; speed control lets you tune RPM to bit diameter and material. Ten amps is honest hobby-to-light-duty power—not a shaper pretending to be a router, but enough for profile bits, rabbets, and slot cuts in typical home-shop species.
Miter gauge slot in aluminum gives you a path for cross-grain cuts and jig building if you invest in a decent gauge. Router clamp hardware is included to secure the motor under the table—verify tightness during setup and recheck after vibration-heavy sessions. Table-top flatness and plate level matter; budget tables sometimes need shimming patience during assembly. Read the manual once; square the fence to the miter slot; prove cuts on scrap before touching project lumber.
Limitations are architectural, not mysterious. This is a fixed-base table kit—no plunge base for mortises in the same box. Table size and construction target garage shops and beginners, not industrial production lines. Heavy hardwood passes with large bits will test a 10 amp motor sooner than a 14 amp combo. If you dream of panel-raising all day in hard maple, plan upgrades eventually. If you dream of consistent round-overs, chamfers, and rail profiles, this kit meets you where most starters actually live.
Dust collection on entry tables is rarely glamorous. Plan a shop vac connection if the port fits your hose arsenal, and accept that open-table designs never behave like enclosed cabinet saws. Wear eye and ear protection, keep feed rate sane, and treat the starter pin and guard as mandatory when the operation calls for them.
Verdict: the SKIL RT1323-01 is a sensible router table starter kit for makers who want a coordinated table, fence, and motor without CAD drawings. Buy it to stand up a table routing corner quickly. Skip it if you need plunge joinery in the same purchase or you already own a premium lift and just want a motor.
Who it's for
Beginners and hobbyists building their first dedicated router table station. Woodworkers who want above-table adjustment, featherboards, and a matched 10 amp motor without sourcing plate, fence, and router separately.
Who should skip it
Skip if you need a plunge router combo for mortises, already own a table that needs a different motor plate, or require industrial fence precision and power for daily production hardwood work.
Table routing performance
Expect smooth results on typical profile bits, rabbets, and edge treatments in soft and medium hardwoods when depth and speed are tuned on scrap. Heavy cuts and large bits demand slower feeds and may push a 10 amp motor harder than a 14 amp table setup.
Setup & everyday use
Assemble and square the fence, mount the router with the clamp, set height above the table, install featherboards for long feeds, and route with push pads and sticks. Store bits in the integrated compartment and unplug the router for collet maintenance.
- Complete table-plus-router starter station
- Above-table adjustment saves kneeling under the table
- Wide fence with face plates handles tall workpieces
- Featherboards and starter pin included for control
- Integrated bit storage keeps cutters organized
- 10 amp router handles typical hobby table tasks
- Fixed-base table setup—not a plunge combo kit
- Table footprint and quality tier are entry-level
- 10 amp motor limits heavy production routing
- Premium shops may outgrow fence and plate precision